Wisconsin Badgers 2023 Fall Position Preview: Inside Linebackers

MADISON — According to ESPN, the Wisconsin Badgers return 68% of their production from last year's defense.

The inside linebackers account for a big part of that number.

As fall camp approaches, BadgerBlitz.com continues its position-by-position analysis of the roster with a look at that group.

RELATED: Quarterbacks | Cornerbacks | Running backs

Fifth-year senior Maema Njongmeta and redshirt junior Jordan Turner are the top two players on the depth chart, though that section might as well include three spots. Defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach Mike Tressel made it clear this spring that Jake Chaney is in the same tier.

All three could be on the field together in certain packages this season.

"He's a one," Tressel, who came to UW from Cincinnati with head coach Luke Fickell, said. "You could start saying, 'Wait a second, how can there be more than two ones?' He's a one. He's really impressed me because he has the ability to be really heavy-handed. He shocks offensive linemen and you see them stumbling back a few yards. Then the next play he'll slip them (with speed) and make a play in the backfield. Having the ability to do both of those things — and a feel for when to use each of those tools — is really impressive."

Chaney played 269 defensive snaps over 12 games (two starts) last season. The junior recorded 39 tackles, including four a loss of yards, with one sack, one interception and one pass breakup.

Njongmeta led UW in tackles (95) and finished second in tackles for a loss (11.5) en route to third-team All-Big Ten honors last season. His 89.8 Pro Football Focus Grade was second among Big Ten linebackers. Iowa's Jack Campbell, selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, finished with a 91.9 grade.

Despite a productive season as a first-time starter, though, Njongmeta felt like he left "meat on the bone."

"Honestly, my mindset is that whatever I did last year wasn’t enough," he said. "That’s kind of fueling me. Just doing the work we did in the offseason and coming out and going 6-6 (during the regular season)... I had some matchups where I was like, ‘Oh, I got beat in that one-on-one matchup.’ Just realizing there is more work to be done, more to be had. I left a lot of meat on the bone last year. The approach has been that I need to do more."

Turner felt the same after making 68 tackles (five for a loss) over 13 games (11 starts). He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention.

"I kind of got all of the firsts times out of the way," Turner said. "Now I have to build upon that next season and see how far I can go. ...I just want to be the best person for my team."

Tatum Grass and Bryan Sanborn worked with UW's second-team defense in the spring.

Grass, a walk-on in 2019, played in all 13 games (two starts) in 2022. He made 20 tackles, with a career-high nine coming against Michigan State.

Sanborn, the brother of former UW star inside linebacker Jack Sanborn, mostly played on special teams last season. The redshirt sophomore made eight tackles.

The group pushing for spots behind those two includes Aidan Vaughan (redshirt freshman), Garrison Solliday (sophomore) and Tyler Jansey (true freshman).

Njongmeta, Turner and Chaney account for more pass-rush production.

Where will UW's pass rush come from this season? That's one of the more significant questions facing this team, which lost 2022 Big Ten sacks leader Nick Herbig to the NFL Draft.

Herbig had 11 sacks in 2022, and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (who also left for the NFL) had 4.5. Njongmeta had 3.5, while Turner recorded two. Chaney finished with one.

While the sack totals were low, all three showed promising flashes. According to Pro Football Focus, Njongmeta (25) and Turner (23) finished third and fourth on the team in pressures. Njongmeta had eight quarterback hits; Turner had four. Chaney logged 10 pressures and four hits.

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